zierak



Jan. 22, 1963 s. J. ZIERAK snow MELTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 24, 1961 S. J. ZIERAK Jan. 22, 1963 SNOW MELTING APPARATUS 2 Shee ts-Sheet 2 Filed April 24, 1961 INVENTIOR. BY fiepizn J ,Z/e/o-u 3,074,191 SNOW MELTING APPARATUS Stephen J. Zieralr, Wellsville, N.Y., assignor of ten percent to Wayne H. Lang, Wellsville, N.Y. Filed Apr. 24, 1961, Ser. No. 105,128 7 Claims. ((11. 37-195) This invention relates generally to an apparatus for melting snow from roadways and the like, and particularly it relates to apparatus that effectively and economically utilizes a quantity of heat for the above stated purpose.

Because of the many problems involved in the removal and disposal of snow from roadways, parking areas, airfields and the like by the well known snow plows, snow blowers or manual means, various attempts have been made to provide snow melting arrangements whereby snow could be melted, reduced to a fraction of its original volume and then removed from the area in the form of water that could be readily disposed of by generally available sewers or drains.

While snow melting arrangements may in some instances provide advantages over the old time honored methods of physically removing the snow from roadways and the like, the cost of such operation has proved to be generally excessive because of the inefficient use of heat generated to melt the snow, and as a result the general use of snow melting apparatus of this type has never gained popular acceptance.

A further disadvantage of most known snow removal apparatus is that a residual layer of snow or ice is left on the surface after cleaning to present a real hazard to its use by vehicular traffic of any sort. Especially does this thin layer of ice or compacted snow present a real hazard to the landing and take off of aircraft where high speeds are involved as are common today in the operation of high speed jet aircraft.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a snow melting apparatus for the removal of snow from a snow-covered roadway or the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide a snow melting apparatus of the above type having a cycle of operation that efiiciently utilizes the available heat to provide substantial economy of operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a snow melting device that removes snow, ice and residual water from a surface so that the cleaned surface presents no hazard to vehicular traffic.

For a better understanding of these and other objects of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view with parts broken away to more clearly show the details of construction.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus as seen from line 22 of FIGURE 1.

Referring to the drawing we see a schematic representation of the snow melting apparatus that is mounted upon a framework capable of being either drawn or pushed over the surface being treated by any convenient prime mover 11. By mounting it upon a suitable structure of the type represented by a truck chassis or a mortar grader frame, the apparatus could be completely self contained and self propelled.

A snow pulverizer and loading device 12 is rotatably mounted at the front end of the frame 10 and driven by a suitable motor or power take-01f that also rotates a fan 14 about its axis. The loading device includes a plurality of blades that attack the snow and blow it back through a conduit 16 to a hopper 18 above a condenser 22. The loading device 12 is mounted to clear the surface of the 3,074,191 Patented Jan. 22, 1963 roadway a predetermined distance d, preferably in the order of one inch, whereby a layer of snow is left on the roadway after a major portion of the snow has been picked up by the feeding device 12 and blown back to the condenser 22.

As the framework 10 carrying the apparatus is moved forward, the residual layer of snow on the roadway is confronted by a heat source sufficient to melt and vaporize the residual snow or ice in an area bounded by sealing means 26. The heat source illustrated is a burner 24 having a fuel supply in tank 28 and an air supply in fan 14. The burning of gases in evaporation chamber 32 vaporizes the residual snow and provides a slight positive pressure that moves the hot vapor from the melted snow upward through passageway 34 to the condenser 22 where it passes in heat exchange relation with the snow being pulverized and blown back from the feeding device 12 When cooled in the condenser 22 by snow from feeding device 12, the vapor condenses and falls into a condensate storage tank 36. After the condensate has been condensed in condenser 22, the then dry air that remains is directed downward through a duct 40 to a preheat chamber 42 that is located directly in advance of the evaporation chamber 32. In the preheat chamber residual heat remaining in the dry air from the condenser is directed one to the residual snow lying on the roadway to raise the temperature of the snow and in so dong remove any available heat from the dry air.

As the saturated vapor from evaporation chamber 32 passes to the condenser 22, it is cooled and condensed by the snow, while the snow in turn absorbs heat from the cooling vapor and is melted thereby. Water from the melted snow and condensate from the vapor are then together stored in the storage tank 36 until they can be drained into a suitable depository through a suitable outlet 38.

The heat source 24 is designed to evaporate up to approximately one inch of snow or ice by use of the combustion gases and added air required to carry the water vapor from the snow at near relative humidity. It is necessary that the temperature of the gases over the roadway in evaporation chamber 32 be maintained at from F. to 200 F. in order that the quantity of air required to hold the vapor is held to a minimum. At 200 F. one pound of dry air will hold 2.3 pounds of water while at 190 F. one pound of dry air will bold but 1.1 pounds of water. Thus optimum temperature conditions obtain when the temperature in the evaporation chamber can be maintained at or close to 200 F.

The preheat chamber serves as an automatic control for the whole system in that it balances the interchange of heat in the condenser. For example, if the vapor coming from evaporation chamber 32 is too great an amount to be condensed in the condenser 22 by the available snow supply from loading device 12, a large quantity of heat would remain in the vapor when it is exhausted from the condenser and would then be lost to the system if it were not exhausted through the preheat chamber 42 on to the snow covered roadway. Thus the heat contained in the vapor will act to melt some of the snow and then exhaust the condensate of the cooling vapor out of the exhaust port 44.

For icing conditions or snowfall of less than one inch in depth, the condenser 22 serves chiefly as a duct directing vapor from evaporation chamber 32 to the preheat chamber 42 since there is no snow supply for condensing purposes. In this case the preheat chamber 42 will re ceive the hot vapor laden air flowing from duct 40, condenser 22 and evaporation chamber 32, then transfer heat from the air to the snow on the surface of the roadway,

and eject the condensate resulting from the cooled vapor out of the exhaust port 44 located at a side (preferably the gutter side) of the chamber. The snow that first passes under the snow melting apparatus thus absorbs heat in preheat chamber 42 to thereby reduce the amount of heat required from heat source 24 in evaporation chamber 32 to completely evaporate the snow and leave a dry surface behind.

This arrangement is to be preferred where a gutter or suitable drain is continuously available at the side of the apparatus to remove the condensing vapors.

When there is no snow available from feeding device 12 to serve as the cooling medium for condenser 22, water carried by the storage tank 36 may be circulated through the condenser to pass in heat exchange relation with the vapor from evaporation chamber 32. After condensation, condensate from the condenser will collect at the bottom of the heat exchange elements 45 and flow by gravity downward through duct 46 to the storage tank 36. This cycle of operation permits use of the apparatus under conditions other than optimum, and while operating efficiency under these conditions is not of the highest order, such latitude of operation does permit use of the apparatus throughout a wide range of conditions.

When in actual use the snow melting assembly may be raised or lowered to optimum ground clearance conditions by actuating a hydraulic cylinder 52 or the like that is carried by support structure and to which is in turn mounted a support wheel 54. Also it is to be understood that the heat exchange elements of condenser 22 have been illustrated schematically and that a working unit could readily be formed with suitable extended surface elements to facilitate the transfer of heat between the medium being cooled and that being heated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the burner 24 is only schematically shown and that it may be directed variously against the snow covered surface to provide an optimum vaporization of the snow cover thereon.

Thus it is evident that numerous changes or adjustments may be made Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. The method of removing snow from a snow covered surface whch comprises the steps of subjecting the snow on said surface to the heat of an evaporation chamber sufficient to completely vaporize the snow, and directing the heated vapor from the evaporation chamber on to the snow in a preheat chamber lying in advance of the evaporation chamber to simultaneously condense the vapor and raise the temperature of the snow before subjecting it to the heat of the evaporation chamber.

2. The method of removing snow from a snow covered surface which comprises the steps of vaporizing the snow on said surface by subjecting it to an air mass in an evaporation chamber heated to from 190 F. to 200 F.; condensing the vapor from said air mass; and directing the residual dry air mass onto said snow covered surface in advance of the evaporation chamber.

3. The method of melting snow from a snow covered surface which comprises the steps of subjecting said snow to a feeding device that removes a portion of the snow and directs it to a heat exchanger; confronting the snow remaining on said surface with a heat source sufficient to transform it into a vapor; and directing said vapor through the heat exchangerin heat exchange relation with the snow from said feeding device whereby the Va- 4 per is cooled to condensation and the heat content of the vapor is transferred to the snow to simultaneously melt the snow and condense the vapor.

4. The method of melting snow from a snow covered surface which comprises the steps of subjecting said snow to a feeding device that removes a portion of the snow and directs it to a heat exchanger; confronting the snow remaining on said surface with a heat source suflicient to effect its vaporization; directing said vapor through the heat exchanger in heat exchange relation with the snow from the feeding device; and directing dry air exhausting from said heat exchanger to a preheat chamber where the temperature of the snow is raised before being confronted by said heat source.

5. Apparatus for the removal of snow from a snow covered surface comprising in combination support structure adapted to support said apparatus for movement over the snow covered surface; a heat exchanger carried by said support structure; snow feeding means, said means carried by the support structure in spaced relation with the surface to permit removal of snow in excess of a predetermined amount; means for directing snow from the snow feeding means to the heat exchanger; an evaporation chamber including heat producing means arranged to vaporize snow remaining on the surface after passage of the snow feeding means; and duct means directing vapor from the evaporation chamber to the heat exchanger in heat exchange relation with the snow being supplied by the snow feeding means whereby the snow is melted and the vapor is simultaneously condensed to Water.

6. Apparatus for the removal of snow from a snow covered surface comprising in combination support structure adapted to support said apparatus for movement over the snow covered surface; a heat exchanger carried by said support structure; snow feeding means, said means mounted at the forward end of the support structure in spaced relation with the surface to permit removal therefrom of snow in excess of a predetermined amount; means for directing the snow from the feeding means to the heat exchanger; an evaporation chamber including a heat source arranged to vaporize residual snow remaining on the surface after passage of the snow feeding means; duct means directing vapor from the evaporation chamber to the heat exchanger to pass in heat exchange relation with the snow from said snow feeding means; a preheat chamber positioned intermediate the snow feeding means and the evaporation chamber; and a passageway from the heat exchanger to the preheat chamber arranged to permit warm dry air exhausting from the heat exchanger to raise the temperature of said residual snow prior to its vaporization in the evaporation chamber.

7. The method of removing snow from a snow covered surface which comprises the steps of vaporizing the snow -on said surface by subjecting it to a mass of heated air in an evaporation chamber; condensing the vapor from said air mass; and directing the residual dry air mass on to said snow covered surface in advance of the evaporation chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 184,628 Kendrick Nov. 21, 1876 961,604 Gofi June 14, 1910 1,391,889 Goldman Sept. 27, 1921 1,507,781 Lagasse Sept. 9, 1924 2,259,120 Sweeney Oct. 14, 1941 2,312,851 Seibert Mar. 2, 1943 

1. THE METHOD OF REMOVING SNOW FROM A SNOW COVERED SURFACE WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF SUBJECTING THE SNOW ON SAID SURFACE TO THE HEAT OF AN EVAPORATION CHAMBER SUFFICIENT TO COMPLETELY VAPORIZE THE SNOW, AND DIRECTING THE HEATED VAPOR FROM THE EVAPORATION CHAMBER ON TO THE SNOW IN A PREHEAT CHAMBER LYING IN ADVANCE OF THE EVAPORATION CHAMBER TO SIMULTANEOUSLY CONDENSE THE VAPOR AND RAISE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SNOW BEFORE SUBJECTING IT TO THE HEAT OF THE EVAPORATION CHAMBER.
 5. APPARATUS FOR THE REMOVAL OF SNOW FROM A SNOW COVERED SURFACE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION SUPPORT STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT SAID APPARATUS FOR MOVEMENT OVER THE SNOW COVERED SURFACE; A HEAT EXCHANGER CARRIED BY SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE; SNOW FEEDING MEANS, SAID MEANS CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT STRUCTURE IN SPACED RELATION WITH THE SURFACE TO PERMIT REMOVAL OF SNOW IN EXCESS OF A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT; MEANS FOR DIRECTING SNOW FROM THE SNOW FEEDING MEANS TO THE HEAT EXCHANGER; AN EVAPORATION CHAMBER INCLUDING HEAT PRODUCING MEANS ARRANGED TO VAPORIZE SNOW REMAINING ON THE SURFACE AFTER PASSAGE OF THE SNOW FEEDING MEANS; AND DUCT MEANS DIRECTING VAPOR FROM THE EVAPORATION CHAMBER TO THE HEAT EXCHANGER IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATION WITH THE SNOW BEING SUPPLIED BY THE SNOW FEEDING MEANS WHEREBY THE SNOW IS MELTED AND THE VAPOR IS SIMULTANEOUSLY CONDENSED TO WATER. 